With a decent period for responses, the answer has been : none. The Republicans have not passed or attemted to pass a single major piece of legislation targetted for the well-being of the middle or poor.
Instead, the responses have focused on defending this fact. Some of them have said 'the government shouldn't do anything', ignoring the government's crucial role in affecting the economy, and the Republicans' many efforts to improve things for the rich (not one post mentioned this. suggesting supporters don't much understand the party's activities.) The other main defense in the 'blocking' role - the Republicans may not have done anything but they have voted no to the Democrats.
That's an atrocius record, the things is how many supporters don't understand that.
We have a lot of people who not only get nothing, they praise the party for doing so. No wonder they hate government. They have no idea of the American concept of 'government for the people'.
They're stuck in 1900, happy for a few robber barons to give them crumbs and call it freedom. Just as long as they can not see the poor get any crumbs from the government.
The liberals have not good a good job of educating them as to what good and bad government are. The right-wing propaganda machine has blown the liberals' message out of the water.
The statistics have gone in the right direction from far by the liberal policies, but these people don't understand that.
Most of these people have no idea about the liberals, only the things they're told by the right. I doubt almost any of them have ever gone to a single source in my sig for another point of view.
This goes to a larger discussion about parties, but I wanted to ask the right to check.
I've often quoted "politicians have to LOOK good for voters, and DO good for donors." This thread has looked at the voters part - the party 'looks' good to them for doing nothing, blocking, does no good.
Do they do good?
After a historic increase in the concentration of wealth, after it peaked just befoe the great depression, the plummeted for decades, and now rose to exceed the previois record, answers.
The fact that for the first time, a rising tide doesn't lift all boats, but for 30 years the bottom 80% have gotten none of the nation's growth after inflation, while the top 0.01% skyocketed, answers.
The fact that Bush's #1 domestic priority was the tax cuts for the rich as a massive transfer of wealth to the top, borrowed, in a time of skyrocketing deficits answers. THat his #2 priority was to give the top Republican donors (do good for the donors), big pharma, hundreds of billions in unearned tax dollars by creating a massive drug buying program that actually made drugs more expensive formany senions and kicked them off Medicare for any benefit (one less reason for loyalty to Democrats), answers. The fact is #4 priority and his only major loss in 8 years was to privatize Social Security for Wall Street profits and the long-time Republican desire to kill the program that is the most popular program ever, and helps the Democrats politically, as it has slashed elder poverty from 90% to 10%, answers.
But perhapsone of the best answers to who the parties help is the Estate Tax. Created by Democrats before big deficits and needed more now with them, it ONLY taxes estates not only ABOVE several million dollars, but doesn't tax the first several million at all. Economists say it's good for the economy, over dynasties. This is an excellent program, a more painless tax than taxing yet more from the middle class family head. It's clearly directed only at about the top 2% rich, and benefits every else - the poor, the middle class, the well off, allowing for lower taxes for them. Not much clearer indication of who they are helping.
When it was passed, it was part of programs that helped reduced the concentration of wealth from its peaks. In hte last30 years, not even that is right, as the rich have skyrocketed in wealth.
As the top 1% have gone from owning a small percent of wealth to a great percent again (I forget, is it 6% to 24%), you can't argue how they're being hurt and can't pay it.
Only ideology defending a return to the robber baron and poor masses being 'good'.
Meanwhile, the Democrats have overall worked to prevent the reduction and elimiation to the Estate Tax, while Republicans have worked to repeal it. Not much clearer of who they do good for.
If the Republicans had the values stated here, there are taxes to cut to save as much or more money for others, but they pick this one. They say 'but the rich pay most taxes' as an excuse - hiding the fact that as their policies have made the rich skyorcket in wealth, that's why their taxes go up, not keeping up with the wealth. Someone going up 400% in income and paying 100% more in taxes can be made a 'victim' deserving no more taxes.
The thread can still have efforts by Republicans targetted at the middle class in the last 30 years added.
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